When Should Children Get Started in Tennis?
As a tennis coach, I get asked all the time, "when do I start my child with tennis?" Well, my usual answer is about aged 5 or 6 because of the parent's perception of what tennis is, i.e. a racket, ball, court, and scoring with 15s and 30s, can usually be taught successfully at this age. However the reality is that a child should begin tennis training in a broad sense even before the baby can walk. Now before all you parents or expectant parents or new parents like myself start enrolling your "six monther" in tennis school, you should realise that the first tennis coach they will ever have is YOU.
Tom is a 3½ year-old, the son of a tennis pro. From the beginning Tom was encouraged to play a wide range of "sporty games" and activities like kicking a ball, swimming (or not drowning!), throwing a ball, hitting a ball, catching a ball, wrestling and general horse play. Tom's father being a tennis coach was fully aware of the advantages of starting early, developing a child's motor skills and has gently nurtured this along with the standard A,B,Cs/1,2,3s.
Tom can hit a tennis ball dangling on a string with a plastic baseball bat, and that's when the ball's moving. I've seen him clip the ball 4 or 5 times dead centre as the ball swings back and forth. Of course genetics play their part in all of this but there is not much you can do about that. By encouraging you child to perform co-ordination tasks in play, you are giving him/her a major head start in any sport that they choose down the track.
NOTE: You can only hit a ball as well as you can catch a ball. No catch / no hit!
So exactly what do I do? First of all, teach your child to catch and if they are too young then let them trap something on the floor. Teach them how to throw. Nerve (foam rubber) balls are good; they are made of sponge so you're not likely to loose any widows or China out of it. Kicking a ball and all running games are also very valuable skills for your child to learn. Building blocks help with hand pressure awareness, problem solving and creativity. A new child's Gym or Jim-ba-club is now available in some big Australian cities. The children go into a "I can't kill myself" padded room that is packed with physical games and activities which are ideal for your child's motor skill development and are heaps of fun.
People ask me (normally with the older children) what sports are good and bad for tennis. The answer is all sports that keep your child involved and not standing idle for long periods or those that do not have high injury rates. You can do major physical damage in contact sports in the formative years but the actual playing of any sport where they are practising sport fundamental's is always a plus.
The above ideas are great ways for you to improve your child's chances of physical and mental development both in tennis and other sports but any of these activities takes TIME. Make time or your wasting your time! The investment is worth it, and remember children who do well at sport generally do better at school.
Now when you go to your tennis coach and ask him "when should my child begin tennis?", the Pro will get a ball, throw it to your child and he'll catch it and throw it back and the pro will say, "well, they've already started".
Good Luck
The (New Dad) Tennis Coach